Friday, January 29, 2010

Garden Plan 2010

The first sprouts of 2010 are from a Purple Potato. Propagated from one purchased at Farmer's Ram.

Last year I was ambitious and optimistic about gardening; this year I'm cautious and calculated. A flood of biblical proportions killed our hard work the summer of 2009. Nearly all of my vegetables drowned, and my innocent gardening enthusiasm died along with our prized crops.

But it's a fresh year, a fresh start. It took me months to heal, but I'm ready to start anew. These are the gardens I will nurture for 2010:

In honor of new beginnings, I'll share a rainbow sunrise with a myriad of colors. It was all too beautiful this morning.

- Argyle Area Community Garden: I'm honored to manage the marketing for the Argyle Area Community Garden. We're just starting, and I'm excited to take part in the growth.

- Apartment Patio: I can't wait for that Apartment Patio! I'm going to start a container garden with a few potted vegetables and herbs. I'll challenge my willpower and limit myself to three tomatoes.

- Raised Bed at My Parent's Pad: I'll plant a few self-sufficient plants and plenty of herbs and flowers in a large raised bed I erected at my parent's house.

General Gardening Resource:Yougrowgirl.com My favorite gardening resource. The perfect website for a beginner and everyone in between. Features many printable gardening goodies.

I can't wait to interview a talented local gardener (our community garden's "Bee Lady") and soak in her gardening expertise like a sponge. I'll ask her how she overcomes local challenges like poor soil, ample pests, floods, and droughts. If anyone has any particular questions, leave them in the comments and I'll get you the answers.